Picking Today's Best Combined France & England XV - Six Nations Round 5

Wednesday, 11 March 2026 at 16:00

byTom Sansom

The next iteration of Le Crunch is set to light up the Stade de France this weekend, as Les Bleus host England for the final match of the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations. France chase down the title with their fate in their hands, yet a defeat to Steve Borthwick's men would open the door for the winner of Ireland and Scotland to snatch the Championship.

Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local Greene King sports pub.

Ahead of this match, we've decided to take a look across both the England and France squads, to piece together a combined dream XV we have dubbed 'la Rose Bleus', or 'The Blue Roses'. We've taken recent form, injuries and international availabilities into account, with this crop of players selected from the current France and England training camps for the Six Nations.

So, just to confirm ahead of our picks, this means that there is no room in the squad for the likes of Jack Willis or any similar England ex-pats. Likewise, regular France stalwarts Damien Penaud, Gael Fickou and Gregory Alldritt also miss the grade, given how the trio were left out of Galthie's 2026 Six Nations squad.

PICKING TODAY'S BEST FRANCE & ENGLAND COMBINED XV - 2026 SIX NATIONS ROUND 5

BACK THREE

15. THOMAS RAMOS (FRANCE & STADE TOULOUSAIN)

14. TOMMY FREEMAN (ENGLAND & NORTHAMPTON SAINTS)

11. LOUIS BIELLE-BIARREY (FRANCE & BORDEAUX-BEGLES)

Let's kick off in the back-three, with a positional shift immediately apparent for England flyer Tommy Freeman. Whilst head coach Steve Borthwick has persisted to unleash the Northampton Saints man in the centre of the park, the British & Irish Lion has plentiful more experience as a finishing wide-man. Freeman has been a wrecking ball in the Championship, as he sits at third with dominant contacts (13) defenders beaten (15) and post contact metres (75m).

Joining Freeman on the wide channels is Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who has once again been in tremendous finishing form, as he looks to break his own record of scoring eight tries in a single Six Nations. The wing has five scores already in the Championship, as he needs a fantastic four against England to eclipse his previous heroics. A tough task, but one that you should not write-off for the scrum-capped sensation.

We select Thomas Ramos to take control of the back-field, as the Stade Toulousain man has been at his sharp-shooting best throughout the campaign. Ramos has kicked 21 goals to currently lead that table, with a leading rate of 58 points in the Championship. The fullback has also excelled with the ball in hand, having made the most metres out of any man in the competition with 349. Ramos sits second in total carries (62m) and defenders beaten (16), and gets our nod ahead of Freddie Steward or Marcus Smith.

Win 2027 Six Nations tickets with ISUZU

CENTRES

13. NICOLAS DEPOORTERE (FRANCE & BORDEAUX-BEGLES)

12. YORAM MOEFANA (FRANCE & BORDEAUX-BEGLES)

Onto the centres, as we select two France and Bordeaux-Begles stars who link up on a telepathic level. Nicolas Depoortere and Yoram Moefana are a true force to be reckoned with across the Top 14, as title holders in the Champions Cup and latterly within the Six Nations. With Gael Fickou not called upon despite his 98 caps for France, Galthie's decision to unleash the Bordeaux brotherhood has witnessed some frightening phases of attacking play for Les Bleus.

Given the knee injury to England's resident one-man wrecking ball Ollie Lawrence, and with Manu Tuilagi more likley to run out for Samoa than to return to Steve Borthwick's side, the midfield has an all-French feel. We've shuffled Tommy Freeman out to the wing, whilst Henry Slade has sat out of the Six Nations, having enjoyed a stellar run with Exeter Chiefs to the PREM Rugby Cup Final to be played on Sunday.

All the while, having only made his Six Nations debut this past Saturday in the defeat to Italy, we are yet to determine whether Gloucester young-gun Seb Atkinson is making the grade upon the Test match level. The brightest England option for the midfield would be Northampton Saints centre Fraser Dingwall, who is worthy of an honourable mention for our combined XV.

HALFBACKS

10. MATTHIEU JALIBERT (FRANCE & BORDEAUX-BEGLES)

9. ANTOINE DUPONT (FRANCE & STADE TOULOUSAIN)

Once again, France dominate the back-line positions for our combined XV of options. Lets start at fly half for our explanations, as across the Championship, it could certainly be assessed that Matthieu Jalibert has enjoyed a far more consistent run when compared to the likes of England's George Ford and Fin Smith. Jalibert has the most try assists out of anyone in the tournament so far, with five after four rounds.

The Boardeaux linchpin has been steady in his three appearances, having been rotated out for the one-sided win over Italy. Jalibert bagged well-taken tries against Ireland and Wales, and rallied his side for the second half comeback effort against Scotland. The scrum half maestro Antoine Dupont partners up with his France teammate in the halfback pairing, as the Toulouse man has impressed across the past four rounds, with 50 carries and three assists (both 6th overall), and sitting at fourth for defenders beaten.

1. ELLIS GENGE (ENGLAND & BRISTOL BEARS)

2. JAMIE GEORGE (ENGLAND & SARACENS)

3. DORIAN ALDEGHERI (FRANCE & STADE TOULOUSAIN)

Moving onto the forward pack, and England find themselves in the majority for the first time across any of the combined positions. The front row is a two-one split in favour of Steve Borthwick's side, with the Bristolian bruiser Ellis Genge being arguably England's most reliable man throughout an poor campaign.

With just one win from four rounds, England have had a miserable run in the Six Nations, yet Genge has emptied the tank with some hulking carries, chopped low in the tackle and single-handedly won his side go-forward with some stunning scrum time efforts.

Coupling his England teammate in the front row is Jamie George, as the former England captain has been nothing short of a work-horse for Steve Borthwick's side. Like Genge, the Saracen has been a diamond in a rough Championship, with lung-bursting contributions and accurate work at the set-piece. George leads the ratings for the most successful line-outs, with 38 retained throws and a single mishap, for a 97% shift.

Packing down on the tight-head of the scrum is Dorian Aldegheri, as the 32-year-old answered the call following the tragic retirement for Uini Atonio. The La Rochelle man was forced to end his career ahead of the Six Nations, after suffering a cardiac event away from the pitch. Aldegheri has been excellent in his place, with France put on the front foot at scrum-time, with a stand-out performance against the revered Italian pack back in Round three. England's Joe Heyes is a close second to the number three jersey.

LOCKS

4. MARO ITOJE (ENGLAND & SARACENS)

5. MICKAEL GUILLARD (FRANCE & LYON)

Moving on into the second row, and we select an even split of English and French contributions for the locks. Starting with England captain Maro Itoje, the Saracen has had a solid Six Nations campaign, with his work-rate at the breakdown commended across the competition. Itoje sits at third for total jackals made in the Championship (with four), and has also been paramount to England's line-out efforts, despite the end results thus far for Steve Borthwick's side.

Partnering up with the Lions skipper is one of the brightest young talents across French rugby, as Mickael Guillard continues to make a name for himself at just 25-years-old. After making his debut for France in the 2024 Summer Tour of Argentina, Guillard has since collected 17 caps and looks like the future for Fabien Galthie's side. Guillard was named Player of the Match from France's first round win over Ireland, and has routinely punched his ticket towards the upper echelons of any observer's player ratings.

BACK ROW

6. FRANCOIS CROS (FRANCE & STADE TOULOUSAIN)

7. OSCAR JEGOU (FRANCE & LA ROCHELLE)

8. BEN EARL (ENGLAND & SARACENS)

Rounding off our selections with the back row, there is once again a top-heavy selection in favour of the French. Had England flanker Tom Curry not sustained his calf injury ahead of the latest Six Nations defeat to Italy, then we may well have seen the Sale man listed upon the blind-side of the scrum. However, we have instead opted with Francois Cros to take up the six jersey, as the Stade Toulousain man has been chopping anything that moves upon France's title retention quest.

Accompanying him in the back row is his France teammate Oscar Jegou, who has emerged as a serious player with consistent starts in the seven jersey. Jegou backed up three stellar shift with a try in his most recent run-out, as he crossed over for his second ever French try in the losing effort to Scotland. Jegou looks to be Galthie go-forward open-side operator, and as the tournament's leading dominant tackle maker (with 11) it would be hard to argue against him.

Taking the number eight jersey is England's Ben Earl, who has been his country's strongest attacking threat throughout a disappointing Six Nations. Whilst England's results have not exactly flattered the side, Earl could take plenty of personal pride from his individual performances from the previous four rounds. The Saracen tops the tournament tables for total carries with 73, with his breathless effort opitimised with 95 post-contact metres - also a best for the Championship so far.